"The Battle of the Books" appeared in A Tale
of a Tub, here shown in its fifth edition, the first
to contain the illustrations that have now become famous. Swift's satire was occasioned by "the famous Dispute . . . about Antient and Modern Learning" that, as "The Bookseller to the Reader" explains,

took its Rise from an Essay of Sir William Temple's, upon
that Subject; which was answer'd by W. Wotton, B.D.
with an Appendix by Dr. Bently, endeavouring to destroy
the Credit of Aesop and Phalaris .
. .

A partisan of Temple, for whom he had worked and on whom he depended, Swift leapt
into the fray with a book that, like Pope's Dunciad, has
done more to destroy Bentley's reputation outside the field of classical philology than even the arrogantly combative Bentley deserved. Wotton and "his Lover B--ntl--y" meet an unhappy end:

Boyle . . . took a Launce of wondrous Length and sharpness;
and as this Pair of Friends compacted stood close Side by Side, he wheel'd him to the right, and with unusual Force, darted the Weapon. B--ntl--ey saw his Fate approach, and flanking down his Arms, close to his Ribs, hoping to save his Body; in went the Point . . . , [which] also pierc'd
the valiant W--tt--n .
. .

Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745. A
tale of a tub. Written for the universal improvement of mankind. . .
. To which is added, An account of a battel, between the antient and modern books in St. James's
Library. . . . The fifth edition: with the author's apology and explanatory notes. By W. W--tt--n, B.D. and others. London: Printed for John Nutt, 1710. Teerink PR3724.T3.1710.